Possible UI tweak

[DavidHB]

I like the quite minimalist UI you get by opening the Log or Properties windows from the taskbar icon. It has remained unchanged for so long now, that I assume that Simon has no plans to modify it in any way. So I suggest a change with some diffidence, even though the change is not, I think, radical or disruptive.

It has always been my practice, after loading music on to the server or making changes to metadata or MinimServer properties, to run any required rescan with the Log window open, so that I can immediately see whether any errors have been identified. I recall that, when I mentioned this practice, a few years ago now, Simon commented that it made sense. However, this workflow requires two right-click menu selections on the MinimServer/MinimWatch tray icon, which for my tired old eyes is a bit fiddly on a hi-res screen.

I should like to suggest that double-clicking on the tray icon opens the Log window for the associated MinimServer instance, which then becomes, as it were, the 'dashboard' for that instance. The button bar at the bottom of the window could then have a 'Rescan' button. There is space for this, and also for a Properties button, on the bar without moving any of the existing controls.

These changes, which I hope would not require a great deal of programming effort, would encourage users to monitor the rescan process and pick up errors quickly. They would also provide new users, who are sometimes bewildered as to how the tray icon works, with a somewhat more intuitive introduction to the UI. And, perhaps even more importantly, they would not require any changes in the ways current users work.

Is there any chance that this suggestion might find its way on to the list of possible enhancements?

David

[simoncn]

Thanks for this suggestion.

I like the idea of a "dashboard" but I don't think it should be implemented by adding a couple of buttons to the log window. It needs to be designed with some thought and should be accessible from a web browser as well as from MinimWatch.

[aliasname]

Something like this would also ease the setup (see attachment)
where labels get turned into linklabels pointing to something such as
https://minimserver.com/ug-library.html#Tag%20aliasing or
https://minimserver.com/ug-browsing.html...20grouping
[....]
since sometimes one really needs to spent time since the order of the documentation is in different order but the items found in the preferences.

... and yes I first wanted to simply attach this 5min VisualStudio thing you could have clicked upon the links .. but adding an .exe is likely forbidden so the snapshot shows the idea anyway.

[timster]

I like the idea of links to the relevant help sections. If that can be easily implemented (seems so) I think it would be a great boon to usability, especially for newbs.

[simoncn]

I agree that something like this would be useful. It might be better for the clickable link (or perhaps "hover text") to show a short description of the property (taken from the "MinimServer properties" page of the User guide) with a link to the relevant section of the User guide.

The implementation is not as simple as it might seem because these fields are generated automatically from an internal list of property names. Customizing each field with help information would require adding a new mechanism to obtain the relevant help information for each field and keep it in sync with the short description in the User guide.

[DavidHB]

And there was me, hoping to keep things simple ...

I like all the suggestions in themselves, and I'm glad that Simon likes the "dashboard" idea. But over the years I have learned that the important thing is not the UI itself but the workflow. This idea, which you don't hear much of in Hi-Fi circles, is one I originally came across in photography, where applications like Lightroom are built from a concept of workflow that (obviously) has its origins in the darkroom. In essence, the UI is the means by which the workflow is implemented, and it stands or falls by how well it does that job.

A summary of the workflow I use for ripping CDs to add to the library would be as follows.

• Set up dBpoweramp with appropriate folder (album) and file names and locations, and also with any downloadable metadata that can be used.
• Insert and rip the disc(s) to the master library on the data drive of my PC
• Open the newly ripped album(s) in MP3Tag, to complete metadata editing.
• Open SyncToy and use predefined tasks to copy the new album(s) to my two NASs and my backup drive.
• Run MinimWatch to place the icons for the MinimServer instances on my NASs in the notification area, then, for each instance, open the MinimServer log and do a rescan, checking for errors and rectifying/rescanning as necessary.
• Play the music.

You can see how my original proposal would simplify the penultimate stage of this workflow, and so is a bit more than just placing additional buttons in the log window for the fun of it. This simple tweak would give me most of what I need without major reprogramming of the UI, nice as a "dashboard" approach and context sensitive links to the help files would undoubtedly be.

David